Director of Operations and Margin Performance

Position Overview:
Reporting to the General Manager of Contracting & Property Services (CPS), the Director of Operations & Margin Performance is responsible for driving cost discipline, operational efficiency, and scalable execution across CPS's physical products and live learning operations. The core mandate of this role is to improve unit economics, reduce operational friction, and ensure CPS can scale responsibly through better process design, systems, and vendor strategy. CPS operates as a direct-to-consumer business with significant physical product volume, primarily books and print materials, fulfilled through an ecommerce model — making inventory accuracy, fulfillment economics, and vendor relationships central to the unit's margin performance.

This role is primarily focused on COGS management, vendor and contract optimization, expense visibility, and continuous improvement of site-based and live operations. Partnering closely with FP&A and CPS business unit leaders, this leader ensures that spend is intentional, transparent, and aligned to business priorities, while actively identifying opportunities to reduce dependency on physical labor and increase scale through technology, tooling, and process redesign.

While this role maintains ownership of warehouse and live delivery operations, day-to-day floor execution is supported by a warehouse floor manager. This structure enables the Director to operate at the system, process, and economic level, while remaining an engaged onsite partner and support to site leadership. The ideal candidate is a systems thinker with a bias for action, a strong command of operational economics, and the leadership presence to drive change across a complex, multi-function environment.

What You'll Do:

Drive Operational Excellence: Own and continuously improve processes across warehouse operations, physical fulfillment, and live class delivery, identifying inefficiencies and redesigning workflows for greater speed, accuracy, scalability, and lower costs.
Lead Process Automation & Technology Adoption: Reduce reliance on manual labor and physical effort by evaluating, piloting, and implementing operational technologies, systems, and tooling that measurably improve efficiency and reduce cost-to-serve.
Manage COGS and Operational Expenses: Own end-to-end visibility and control of operational cost of goods sold (including printing, shipping, warehouse labor, live instruction, and facility costs), partnering closely with FP&A to track expenses, flag variances, and deliver actionable insights with clear tradeoffs.
Optimize Vendor & Publisher Relationships: Build and manage strategic partnerships with publishers, printers, logistics providers, and vendors; redesign contracts for better economics, predictable pricing, improved service levels, and long-term margin improvement.
Oversee Warehouse Operations & Site Performance: Maintain overall accountability for warehouse performance, fulfillment SLAs (cost per order, accuracy, on-time delivery), and site economics while partnering closely with the onsite warehouse manager to drive daily execution and continuous improvement.
Ensure Reliable Live Class Delivery: Oversee scheduling, coordination, and execution of in-person and virtual live classes, ensuring high reliability, cost efficiency, and operational readiness in partnership with Product, Curriculum, and CX teams.
Deliver Actionable Metrics & Reporting: Own key operational KPIs related to cost, efficiency, and execution; provide regular reporting with context, insights, and variance analysis to support data-driven decision making.
Support Strategic Decision Making: Use operational and financial data to guide capacity planning, investment prioritization, vendor strategy, and the evolution of site and live delivery models, while challenging assumptions with cost transparency.
Build Cross-Functional Partnerships & Leadership: Collaborate effectively with FP&A, Product, Curriculum, CX, and business unit leaders; foster a culture of trust, accountability, and servant leadership while addressing performance issues constructively.
Embody Team and Cultural Values: Operate with a strong bias for results, detailed execution, appropriate urgency, and alignment with core values of Love, Joy, Boldness, Teamwork, and Curiosity.

What You'll Need to Succeed:

Core Expertise: Deep knowledge of operational COGS management, process improvement, and unit economics.
Vendor & Contract Management: Proven ability to lead vendor negotiations and secure structurally improved contract terms that enhance economics, flexibility, and scalability.
Analytical & Decision-Making Skills: Strong analytical capabilities with the ability to translate complex operational and financial data into clear, actionable insights and decisions.
Process & Systems Improvement: Demonstrated experience designing and implementing systems, tooling, or workflows that reduce manual labor and increase operational scale and efficiency.
Leadership & People Management: Effective people leader with a track record of developing teams, fostering accountability, and driving performance through clarity and coaching.
Strategic & Tactical Balance: Ability to operate effectively at both strategic and tactical levels — setting direction while engaging directly in day-to-day operations.
Warehouse & Fulfillment Experience: Hands-on experience with warehouse or fulfillment operations, including SLA management and cost-per-unit tracking.
Technical Proficiency: Proficiency with operational reporting tools, inventory management systems, and project management platforms.
Communication Skills: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present insights clearly and persuasively to senior leadership.
Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree required (MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred); minimum 5+ years in operations, supply chain, or operational finance leadership roles with demonstrated success managing COGS and vendor relationships in a product-based or services business.
Preferred Background: Experience in education, professional services, or a complex multi-channel environment; familiarity with book, print, or physical media inventory management; familiarity with live event or live instruction delivery operations.